Unexpected Awakening
by mbyer2054
Summary: It began as such things usually do. It began with the appreciation of the way her lips curved into a smile when someone spoke the opening line to a funny joke. Then, the way she laughed before the punch line was even fully delivered. Finally, with the way he felt to be responsible for the smile; the laughter. He, of course, was just as oblivious to what was happening as she was.
1. Chapter 1

It began as such things usually do. It began with the appreciation of the way her lips curved into a smile when someone spoke the opening line to a funny joke. Then, the way she laughed before the punch line was even fully delivered. Finally, with the way he felt to be responsible for the smile; the laughter. He, of course, was just as oblivious to what was happening as she was.

 **A/N: I'm new to this. I've never written fanfiction before and I'm still not entirely sure how to do it properly, formatting-wise, so bear with me. I just kind of got the idea for this because I really didn't like the way that Quinn and Logan's relationship unfolded in the show, or how it was revealed. I don't really have a specific vision for this and I'm not even sure if it's good enough to continue it. I would love feedback in that department, actually. I'm working from the standpoint that this is AU. I haven't seen Zoey 101 completely all the way through and not in quite some time, so any help in that department would also be greatly appreciated. But, I'm still a big fan of the show and want to do it justice! Basically, I'm kind of going back to when Quinn and Mark were still dating. Except, here, they break up at the beginning of the summer before this story starts. Chase has decided on his own (for reasons I'm still deciding on) to go to London earlier than depicted in the show. I'm thinking he left the previous semester and that's when Zoey started dating James. They are still dating at the beginning of the story. The beginning of the story is around, say, their junior year at PCA. Some elements are still the same, i.e. Mark leaving Quinn for Brooke. I'm kind of just exploring writing fanfiction and wanted to see if I could write something AU like this. I would really love any kind of feedback, whether I should continue or not, if there are things I could improve or change, etc. So, here's the first chapter that I've got written and enjoy! Thanks! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Zoey 101 and I certainly do not own the show, though I kind of wish I did. How cool would that be?**

Chapter 1

A new year. A fresh start. That was what he needed after a dismal summer spent alone in his father's mansion. Yet again. Sure, there had been the beach and the girls. Oh, the girls. After a while, though, those things do become monotonous. _After all, there are only so many girls a man can go after before he's had them all,_ he thought, smugly _._ At this thought, Logan has to correct himself. He hasn't had them all. Take Stacy Dilson, for example. She'd been pining over him for two years now. _Probably going on three now,_ he inwardly groaned. _But, it still counts because she totally wants me._ Then, there was Zoey, Lola, and Quinn. He knew both Zoey and Lola had crushed on him at one point or another in those initial years at PCA. He smirked. That definitely counted. Quinn, on the other hand, had hated him from day one and the feelings were more than mutual. As far as he was concerned, Quinn didn't count. _I guess that means I have had them all_ , he thought smugly. A second later, however, he realized just what that meant. He'd reached his end with the girls at PCA. Granted, it was a year or two earlier than expected, but it still meant that he was out of options. He laughed. _Please. Who says I can't just start all over again? It's not like they're really going to say no. I'm Logan Reese._ With that, Mr. Logan Reese stepped out of his father's limo, took his bag from Chauncey, and headed to his dorm room to claim the single bed before James or Michael got there.

* * *

As her parents drove away, Quinn took a deep breath and sighed, looking out over the campus. It was good to be back. Although she was nervous, it really did feel good. _This year is going to be different. A fresh start,_ she thought. After the eventful summer she'd had, she needed a fresh start. The summer itself wasn't exactly eventful. The beginning of the summer had been the eventful part.

"Quinn?"

She spun around, hearing that familiar voice and feeling a pit in her stomach.

"Mark? I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow," she said, standing a little straighter and trying to keep her voice neutral. She hadn't expected this so soon. What she saw wasn't what she had been expecting. Mark had lost a considerable amount of weight since the last time she had seen him and he looked different. _Must have been working out with Miss Perfect Body,_ she thought, scornfully.

Mark shuffled his feet and replied, "My parents dropped me off early."

"Oh." There was an awkward pause.

"How are you?" he finally asked.

"I'm fine. How are you?" she responded, regaining some of her composure, and then adding, "How's Brooke?"

Mark winced slightly at the venom in her voice. "I'm good, I guess. Brooke's good, too." Another pause. "Listen, Quinn—"

Before he could finish, Quinn picked up her bags, said, "I have to go unpack," and walking away as quickly as she could, leaving a very unhappy Mark behind.

She knew she should have prepared herself better for this. What was she thinking? That it would be easy to see him again after only a few months? And with the way he looked now? Looks had never really mattered to Quinn, but she had to admit, albeit grudgingly, that Mark had looked good. Really good. Why hadn't he done that for her? Was she not good-looking enough? Brooke apparently was. _Trollop._ And to just come up to her and try to talk to her. What was _he_ thinking? The jerk. _I mean, did it even occur to him that_ —

Just then, she hit something solid and fell to the ground. She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going.

"Watch it, Pensky!" Logan. Great. That was exactly what she needed.

"You watch it, Reese!" she fired back, picking herself up off the ground, glaring at him.

"You're the one that ran into me, remember?" was the response she received as she gathered the rest of her stuff and stormed off in any direction but his, hoping she wouldn't have to face Zoey and Lola just yet.

* * *

 _What is her problem?_ Logan thought, offended, as he stood up, watching Quinn as she walked away. It's not like he ran into her. She was the one who was rushing through campus not paying attention. She had the nerve to yell at _him_ for it! It wasn't his fault. _Geez…_ He brushed his pants off and made sure neither the expensive laptop nor the more expensive phone in his hands were damaged before setting off again. Not even back ten minutes and it's already starting again. _That is exactly why she doesn't count_ , he thought, irritated. As he was making his way to his dorm, he noticed some guy just standing there, looking the way he'd just come. Suddenly, he made eye contact with the guy and noticed something. _He looks really familiar. I know I've seen him somewhere, but where?_ Logan asked himself. The guy started to move in his direction and he knew exactly where he'd seen him, except he'd been a lot larger then.

"Del Figgalo?" Logan asked, with disbelief.

"Hey, Logan." Mark said, still moving towards him, eyes still looking back the way Logan had come.

"Dude, you lost a lot of weight," Logan said, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Mark looked down, "Oh, yeah. Brooke made me work out all summer. Said it would help my image, especially if we were going to be together." He shrugged.

"Wait. Be together? Aren't you still dating Quinn?" Logan asked, thawing a little as the curiosity hit him.

"No. Uh, we broke up," Mark said, not quite meeting his eye.

Logan narrowed his eyes, shrewdly guessing what was coming next, but asking anyway, "What'd you do?"

"I cheated on her with Brooke," Mark said, after some hesitation, "I just wanted something different, you know?" He looked at Logan with a _you know what I'm talking about_ kind of look on his face.

Logan did know what he was talking about. He'd seen his father do it many, many times over the years, to various women. Many assumed he'd done the same. In fact, he hadn't. He thought the whole idea was wrong. Sure, he messed around with girls, often moving from one to the next almost too quickly, but they'd always known what they were getting themselves into and that, generally, it was a one-time thing. Logan Reese was not serious relationship material.

"Honestly, man, I didn't think you had it in you," he said, reevaluating the person standing in front of him.

"Well, things just sort of happened," Mark said. He paused. "I saw you talking to Quinn. Did she say anything to you?"

"No, man, just yelled at me. The usual, really," he replied.

"Well, alright," Mark said, with a sigh, "I'll see you later, Logan. I gotta go unpack." With that, he turned around and left.

"See ya," Logan said, picking up his bags, yet again, and making his way over to the dorm building.

It didn't occur to him that Quinn had come from the same direction that he'd seen Mark until he finally made it to his room. The implications of that, coupled with Quinn's behavior and Mark's explanation, didn't sink in until he was halfway finished unpacking his things. _Man, that sucks. Big time,_ he thought to himself, before shrugging it off and continuing to pull clothes out of his bag and throwing them on the bed he'd managed to successfully snag.

* * *

Quinn sat with her arms resting on the knees she'd pulled up to her chest, thinking. She was hidden from passersby in a group of trees at the north end of campus. After her run-in with Logan, she knew she wouldn't have been able to face Zoey and Lola until she got control of her emotions. Logan didn't usually get to her in such a way, but her encounter with Mark had left her feeling vulnerable. As she had turned away from him, all she'd needed was a kind smile or maybe even a hug from a friend, proof that someone cared. Instead, she got the cold shoulder and a "Watch it, Pensky" from none other than Logan Reese, the very last person she had wanted to see in that moment. Evidently, the hatred that had existed between them had not dissipated over the summer. She could normally handle the arguments and insults they regularly exchanged with relative ease. It was easy to argue with Logan and even easier to insult him. However, today hadn't exactly been normal or easy and Logan had no idea the effect that exchange had had on her.

Feeling the breeze run through her soft curls, she wondered what it was that was so wrong with her that would make Mark treat her the way he had. She wondered why Mark had chosen Brooke over her and why he hadn't just told her. In the next moment, she was fairly positive she knew the answers to those questions. _Brooke is beautiful and Miss Perfect Body. How am I supposed to compete with that?_ she thought bitterly. At that thought, Quinn felt a sudden wetness rolling down her cheeks. She was crying. The realization made her cry even harder. She'd thought she was done with all of that. However, here it was, fresh as the day it happened. All the pain, the loneliness, the—

Quinn cut everything short; the thought, the hurt, and the crying. This was not the place or time.

She gathered her wits, dried her eyes, stood with her bags, and left her hiding spot. The Quinn that stepped out of the trees seemed confident, happy, and ready for a new year. The Quinn within that façade was trembling and nervous, unsure of what the year was to bring.

* * *

Zoey Brooks sat on her bed looking at her newly unpacked side of the room, awaiting the arrival of the other two occupants of the room. As she waited, she thought back on the past few months. She had spent her summer lifeguarding. James had visited a couple of times, but had to get back to Washington soon after each meeting. He had an internship at a law firm. While she was extremely proud of him, she wished that she and James had spent more time together over the summer. Zoey had been feeling a strange sort of distance between them, even when they were together, in the last month. She was not sure if the feeling was caused by the physical distance between the two or something deeper. She hoped that it was just in her head and that things would fall back in to place as school started.

Her thoughts drifted briefly to Chase. She missed her best friend dearly. Normally, Chase would be exactly the person she would go to with her current dilemma, or perceived dilemma, with James. However, Chase was all the way in London. There was also the issue of the conversation they'd had the day before he had left for London that was keeping her from going to him. Zoey tried not to think about that too much. There was nothing she could do about any of it if he was all the way in London.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill scream, accompanied by an equally shrill, "ZOEY!"

Sure enough, there stood Lola Martinez, looking as fashionable as she always had.

"Lola!" Zoey jumped up and gave her the biggest hug she could manage. "I missed you!"

"I missed you, too! How was your summer? How's James?" Lola asked, looking at Zoey and wiggling her eyebrows.

"Fine and fine, if you know what I mean," Zoey replied, giggling, "But enough about me. How was your summer? You spent it in Paris, right? That's so exciting. You have to tell me all about it."

Thus, the two girls spent the next hour talking about Lola's experiences in France and, especially, the male population of the country. Neither paused to wonder why a third girl had not yet joined them. When Quinn finally entered the room, it was to find Lola's baggage thrown on the floor, still packed, and the two girls chattering excitedly on Zoey's bed. However, it wasn't long before Quinn was noticed and embraced in a doubly bearish hug from both Zoey and Lola. This reaction, coupled with the pulling together session she'd had in the trees, put the final Band-Aid on her fragile emotional state. For the moment, she forget about Mark, about Logan, about everything but finally being around her friends again.

 **Well, that's the first chapter. Please, please let me know what you think. I love constructive criticism. Also, I just want to state that I didn't make Mark lose weight because I have any problem with his weight or how he looks. I just envision Brooke being the type to try to control and change him to fit her own image. It also adds to Quinn's inner struggle and I wanted to work with the affect his 'changes for the better' would have on Quinn, i.e. making her feel worse because he seems to be doing better than she is. I also wanted to work with changes taking place in Mark's attitude and behavior, i.e. more confidence. I hope this all makes sense and I would love to hear back about it! Thank you for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi! So, I am so so sorry I took so long to continue this. It's been five months! See, this is exactly why I only search for complete stories. I am way too impatient to wait for the story to unfold. So, for those that read this second chapter who have been waiting months, or even for any length of time, thank you very very much. I so appreciate the favorites and follows and the reviews I've gotten so far. They've been inspiring and, again, I'm very sorry I took so long to get this out of me. I sort of lost my muse and then life got kinda crazy. I had written this a couple of weeks ago and just hadn't gone through it or proofread or anything. But I got reminded of this story by another notification about a new favorite and review today and I suddenly got inspired. So, here it is. I hope it's up to par and, as previously stated, I would love constructive feedback. I'd like to improve my writing and really make this story a good one. This is a pretty short chapter, I think, but it does give some more background to the Zoey/Chase situation. Anyway, long A/N over, I really hope you enjoy it. Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer: I still own nothing and am not profiting from anything related to anything copyrighted. :)**

Chapter 2

"Dude, just talk to her!"

Chase groaned, frustrated at having this conversation for the twentieth time. "I can't. Not after the way we left things. She made it pretty clear how she felt about me. Besides, she has James now, remember?"

Now, it was Michael's turn to groan. "We are not talking about James right now. Now, I don't think saying that she didn't know what to say is pretty clear. It sounds to me like she didn't know what to say!"

It had been eight months and thirteen days since Chase, after a heated argument with Zoey, had chosen to move to England with his mother after his parents' divorce. That was the last time he had seen or spoken to her. Chase remembered that day clearly, as though eight months and thirteen days hadn't already passed.

 _The day had started out fairly uneventful. Wake up, shower, have breakfast with friends, the usual. Classes were easy because it was only the second week of school. However, when he got back to his room, ready to shoot some hoops with Michael and Logan, he found a surprise waiting for him. His parents were sitting on the sofa, while the two boys stood awkwardly by the beds. As he entered the room and set his bag down, he felt worry begin to creep its way into his chest. Whatever brought his parents here probably wasn't good. Both were very busy and didn't often have time to visit him at school._

" _Uh, why don't you boys give us some time alone with Chase. We have something important to discuss," his father asked, looking at Michael and Logan. Both boys readily agreed, having been looking for an excuse out of the room before that point._

" _Son, why don't you have a seat?" his father said, with a serious look on his face. Chase carefully lowered himself onto one of the beds._

" _Is everything okay? Is someone hurt?" he asked, thinking of the previous year when his grandmother had died._

" _No, no, nothing like that. Everyone is fine." Chase visibly relaxed at these words. "We wanted to talk to you today about some changes that will be happening with our family, specifically with your mother and me."_

" _Okay…What's going on?" Chase asked, uneasily. He'd noticed the tension that had existed between his parents for the better part of a year now and already had an idea of what they were talking about. He'd also noticed the slight sadness in both of their eyes._

" _Well, things between your mother and I have been a bit strained the last year or so. We've tried, but it's just not working. We've decided to divorce," Chase's father replied, speaking bluntly in an attempt to make the conversation less painful for his son. Chase was quiet for a moment. If he was being honest with himself, Chase really wasn't that surprised. He'd been expecting something for a while now. He was actually a bit relieved, hopeful that his parents might be a little happier now. He was definitely sad that they were divorcing but if it stopped the muted arguments and forced smiles, he supposed he could live with it._

" _Chase, honey? Are you alright? I know this is a lot to take in," his mother asked, staring at her son with concern._

 _Chase was startled out of his thoughts. "Sorry. I'm fine. I think that if it will make you two happy, then you should do it. I wish you could stay together, but I understand if you can't. I've kind of been expecting something like this for a while." His parents were stunned for a second. Their son was a lot more observant than they had originally thought._

" _There's one more thing," his father began._

" _I've been offered a job in England and I'm going to take it," his mother cut in. "That's part of the reason we've decided to tell you now. You have a choice. You can come with me or you can stay here with your friends. It's completely up to you. If you go with me, there's a school like PCA called Covington Preparatory School. You'd go there and visit your father during school breaks and holidays. If you stay, you would come visit me on breaks and holidays instead." Now, Chase was torn. He had no idea how to choose between his parents. He loved both of them equally. It would be amazing to live in England with his mother, as they'd always had a close relationship, but he'd be leaving his friends and his father behind._

" _Can I have some time to think about it?" Chase asked, his indecision evident on his face._

" _Of course, sweetie. They want me there at the beginning of next week, so you've got until Friday to let us know what you'd like to do," his mother replied._

" _And son?" his father said, looking closely at him, "It doesn't matter who you choose to live with, we'll both be just fine. It won't hurt either of us in any way if you choose to go with the other. You go where you feel you need to be and where you want to be. We'll love you just the same regardless of where you live or who you live with." With that said, both of his parents hugged him and made to leave the room._

" _We'll be back at the end of the week to see what you've decided. If you decide before then, just give us a call, okay?" said his mother, the waver in her voice barely present. "We love you." And, just like that, Chase was left alone in the he shared with his two closest friends trying to decide his future._

 _In the end, after spending days agonizing over what lay before him, he decided it might be best to talk to his friends, particularly Zoey. She was the first person he wanted to ask about this. He knew that, either way, he'd be hurting one parent by choosing the other and that both places had their good points and bad points. Zoey would be the deciding factor. If she wanted him to stay, he would. In hindsight, that may not have been fair to ask of her, but then again, hindsight is 20/20. He found her sitting on her bed working on homework. He told her everything his parents had told him and what they were asking of him._

" _What should I do? Should I stay?" he finally asked her._

" _Chase, I know this is hard for you, but I can't make that decision for you," she told him, shaking her head._

" _Of course you can. Do you want me to stay?" The frustration and desperation in his voice was becoming more evident._

" _You're my best friend. I would love for you to stay, but I can't be the reason you stay here." Zoey argued._

" _Why not?"_

" _I just can't, Chase! You have to do what YOU want to do. I can't be the deciding factor in something like this."_

" _But you are! Don't you get it? I'm in love with you, Zoey. You are the biggest factor in something like this." Chase rushed out, his desperation to avoid making such a difficult decision on his own finally overtaking the good sense that had kept his feelings hidden for the better part of three years now._

 _Time seemed to stop as they both realized what he had said. Later, Chase would safely say that it was this moment that had turned his world upside down and not the announcement of his parents' divorce or the subsequent decision forced upon him. He shifted his feet nervously and pulled together what was left of his burst of courage._

" _Say something, please, Zoey."_

" _I—I don't know what to say," she stuttered out, still utterly in shock._

" _I see." And with that, Chase turned around and headed for the door. When he had just passed the frame, he paused, shoulders drooping in a defeated stance, "You know, I spent so much time thinking about how I'd finally tell you, but I never imagined it would go like this." In the next second, he was gone, leaving Zoey alone in her room, trying to process her turbulent thoughts._

" _Chase, wait," she breathed, a few seconds after he'd gone. He didn't hear her and he didn't come back._

That was the last time they'd spoken. Chase had called his parents on the way back to his room and was packed and ready to go by the time they arrived to pick him up. His friends, minus Zoey, helped him pack his things and load his parents' car. Though shocked and upset at his abrupt departure, they'd all known about his plan to speak with Zoey and that he'd be leaving if it didn't go well. He went to each of his friends privately and said his goodbyes, asking them not to tell Zoey until he'd left because he couldn't face her with his heart still so newly broken.

He spent the better part of a month piecing his heart back together when it was shattered once again. According to Michael, Zoey had a new boyfriend, James. That one took even longer to fix, but he had done it. It still hurt from time to time and he'd never stopped loving Zoey, but he was able to put it into the back of his mind. At least he was able to when Michael didn't insist on talking about her every other time they Skyped, encouraging him to contact her. And each time he did, Chase got closer and closer to breaking down and calling her.

"Look, Michael, she made her choice and I'm not ready to talk to her yet," he said, firmly, "Can we just drop it? Please?"

"Fine, fine. But don't think this is over. You're both being stupid and I won't stop until you make up and be friends again," Michael countered, recognizing the defeated tone of that last question. He knew he was slowly wearing Chase down and didn't want to push him too hard. The conversation moved to other things and, soon, they were laughing hysterically at a funny joke Michael had told. However, as always, Zoey was there, in the back of Chase's mind and he was seriously beginning to doubt whether or not he was right about her.

 **Well, I hope that wasn't too rushed and that it made sense. Thanks again for not hating me too much for taking five months to get this little thing out... :)**


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